Ideas of Distance

Frenchkiss; 2011

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Colin Caulfield's story is entwined with the music of recent indie rock greats. While the leader of the Young Man project was studying English and French at Loyola, he took to YouTube to offer covers from bands like Beach House and Panda Bear and also posted a few originals. Bradford Cox found his version of Deerhunter's "Rainwater Cassette Exchange" on YouTube, posted it on his blog, and called it superior to his original. Then came the signing to Frenchkiss and a 2010 debut EP; Boy was like a sunnier version of Cox's music. With the Deerhunter cover still somewhat fresh, it was easy to view Boy as "the EP by 'Rainwater Cassette Exchange' cover guy."

The internet doesn't forget that stuff. To some, Caulfield will always be that guy. But what can he do? Clearly, he's inspired by Cox and Noah Lennox, so some of his music clearly shows that influence. And sometimes, it's hard to ignore. On Ideas of Distance, his full-length debut, there are ghostly harmonies and fingerpicked guitars that at times evoke Cox's vibe (especially on "Then and Now"). But it seems doubtful that Caulfield's intent was to be Lil' Bradford, and here he's added a few new wrinkles and veers into ambient territory. He told Spinner that around the time he recorded Ideas of Distance, he was "almost exclusively" listening to ambient music from artists such as Tim Hecker and Wolfgang Voigt.

You can hear that influence percolating throughout the songs. Caulfield still has his guitar, but he uses synths to fill out a darker, more spacious, and more atmospheric sound than Boy. At times the mood is there, but the music has a hard time conveying emotion. "Low" features over four minutes of simple acoustic guitar licks, later accompanied by swelling horns and buried dialogue. It sounds pleasant, but again, there's no real build or pull to it. The volume picks up toward the end, but faraway screams and high notes from the horns don't do anything too compelling to pull the song out of its mundane flow. "Only You", which is mostly Caulfield's a cappella vocals, is the same story-- over four minutes without any tug. Static music has its place, but it it's a tough fit on an album driven by love and heartbreak.

Ideas of Distance does have a more fleshed-out sound than Boy, and there are some compelling elements in play. "Tired Eyes", aside from leaning on a well-worn analogy between the end of a relationship and the end of a road trip, is a beautiful ballad with glitchy synths. "Nothing" features the best hook on the album, and its droplet synths and drum machine backing don't leave much room for empty space. "Felt" is over 10 minutes and uses pillowy synths and string sounds. The unadorned acoustic guitar in the last minute feels especially powerful. At moments like this, Young Man transcends easy comparisons.

Boy was a set of cheerful bedroom recordings about being a kid, and you can hear Caulfield trying to run away from that sound. Ideas of Distance feels like an album about growing up. At times, the vague lyrics about love and the darker vibe sound like an affectation. It's Caulfield's first foray into more mood-driven territory, and it ultimately feels like a collection of pleasant sketches, unburdened by the need to resolve a sound or be especially deep.